Bojan talking about 40k wasn’t on my bingo card for today lol also *pushes up glasses* Xenos are all Aliens the forces of Chaos are the demons and Chaos aren’t considered Xenos 🤓
@@floridaman318 I live in western North Carolina. Never in my lifetime have we gotten a tropical storm watch. I'm also moving from parents house in six weeks so alot has been stressful.
Uhm ackhtually ☝️🤓, the main battle core of the imperium is Astra Militarum, not Space Marines! On a more serious note, from what I've heard the "purity seals" from Ratnik Tactical were made because of many soldier requests.
This is wrong. Absolutely a violation of the Canons as well as good sense. Ratnik is selling blessed items, which is against Church Canons, and the Military Cathedral is going along with it willingly. Moscow needs to take a chill pill and realize what they are doing is not Orthodox.
@@s.novozhilov1856 Christian nationalism is not a bad thing. An Orthodox Christian nation would (ideally) obey the canons. What you seem to have in Russia is a secular state using the most powerful religious institution within its borders for the sake of the rodinu, rather than for Christ's sake.
Another reason to pray for our clergy and hierarchs. I never thought I’d need to pray, “Lord, please guide our clergy to not participate in associating Orthodoxy with the aesthetics of a genocidal theocracy from a table top war game.”
@@KnownNiche1999 I’m not one of those hand wringing types who calls imperium players facists or whatever, but it’s dumb to pretend that there aren’t a lot of awful things they do beyond what would be justified by the setting. Associating our faith with a tabletop wargaming faction is really dumb, (and ironic given that the Emperor was a militant atheist who in-universe wiped out Christianity), and just because something looks cool doesn’t mean it’s respectful or a good idea. If there’s a legitimate spiritual concern here, more effective than a purity seal would be actually reading a psalter.
@@KnownNiche1999 Everything wants to wipe out humanity in 40k because humanity literally murdered everything that DIDN'T. Fucking idiot. You're the exact kind of person that thinks Fortunate Son is a pro-war song.
yes it's Psalm 90 , also written in Old Church Salvonic calligraphy. This video also shows the lack of understanding and research he did on this topic as well.
Please elaborate your opinion on them. I'm curious what your thoughts are. Surely it's a bit hypocritical to engage in violence, perhaps some that isn't in-line with Christian morals, and then using Orthodox symbolism? I get it if it's some Crusade to retake the Holy Lands or something (though even that would be mixed with secular politics, at the very least greed for power and oil or whatever), but I doubt any modern political conflict would be honourable enough to wear Christian seals.
It sounds hypocritical if you ask me, Christians killing Christians and mind you Putin is not a Christian who doesn’t care for the lives of Ukrainians and Russians.
Bishop screaming "SAILOR BISHOP MOON CROZIER ACTIVATE!" at the random moment in the Liturgy and all the clergy and faithful having to endure an obnoxiously long transformation sequence
If its about ''trying to be like wh40k but orthodox cus cool'' its really not needed at all cus the larp is pointless, but if its soldiers want to display their faith more tangibly(like how they have flags of the head of Christ, some have those bracelets with saints or crosses) then I think its a bit more fair - seems logical they would want something to remind them of Gods protection and to have it seen easily as to remember it and give a morale boost - something much needed on the battlefield. More so seems like the second option to me dear Boyan. Alas im young in the faith and maybe Im being gullible, God bless them and you regardless of this.
I admit, the wh40k "cool factor" is very enticing, but you're right lol. It's funny. I do have a question, glad you brought up cross necklaces: I know wearing them inside shirts is about humility, but practically irl, when I see people wearing them I feel comforted given I'm American. :( did Christ not tell us to hang our lamps high for the world to see too, not under a bushel? How is this balanced. Confusing. Thank you
The greatest sign of a Christian is Love. If you wear your Cross outside your shirt and have not Love then you are like the Pharisees. Inside or Outside is a matter of your inward disposition.
I seem to remember that there was a verse saying something to the effect of: "The faithful don't need to be seen and heard praying when they communicate with god. A quiet prayer in the silence of your home is better than a performative show of faith in the streets." I'd have to look it up to determine which I'm thinking about, though.
You should be inside, but if you are looking for Christian friends or something like that, it isn't a big deal as long as you keep it inside most of time. I don't think it is sin if it can help you to be closer to good or less lonely (bc when people are lonely, they are more likely to sin). Hoewer again, keep it inside most of time and don't do it to show off.
Do not take my word since I’m not orthodox, but I think any denomination willing to adopt the purity seal and actually wear them is awesome, because it’s a declaration of faith, kinda like wearing a rosary/cross, and in such a unique cool way. however I see your points on how it could get out of hand.
If the purity seal was in the spirit of the lore, it would be your _podvig_ written out with an accompanying biblical verse. That is how they operate amongst the space marines, a rite of honor or piety agreed upon between a chaplain and battle brother.
I've also seen them described as chronicling the deeds of the equipment they're attached to and their wearers? "This sword was wielded by brother such-and-such when he lopped the head off a chaos sorcerer who trapped him and his platoon in a pocket dimension during the battle of hive Caviarus Secundus," to make up an example.
It says something about the state of spiritual affairs, when you have soldiers facing combat and death looking to what is a parody/satire/inversion of traditional Christianity and Catholicism in particular for semi-serious religious paraphernalia. As a pastor who grew up with 40K, I agree with Bojan about the moral/spiritual issues in play here. Does it speak to a spiritual hunger/destitution when a parody of the faith (that has little fragments of church history and spirituality baked in) seems to have more spiritual potency/truth than a lot of Christianity today? Particularly for young men? Or is it just soldiers being soldiers because 40K has attained mainstream popularity... (I've seen UKR combat footage with Khornate watermarks)
If we were to fight literal embodied demons (God forbid), would purity seals have use then? Not every "soldier" would be a miracle working saint afterall.
As a big fan of Warhammer 40k (obviously) & an aspiring Orthodox Christian, the simple fact of the matter is this sort of intermixing is very dangerous in my opinion and I'm shocked that this was even contemplated let alone allowed!
take that russians! how dare you provide a little comfort and morale to your soldiers - many of whom used to enjoy a bit of gaming before their lives were turned upside down - as they're hunkered down in trenches, dodging drones everyday - politically isolated and abandoned by their former allies such as serbia. no fun allowed, sergei!
Ukrainians aren't alien demons, though. They're orthodox people, just like the Russians. They are fighting their own brothers because of the quarrels of higher ups. This is not to be done with gladness.
@@ChristopherAnderson-e5o yeah, of course. The material conflict that's happening is still between two orthodox countries. Ukraine is the representative of NATO in this situation. It doesn't matter if Putin says that their real enemy is NATO. Ukrainians and Russians are still killing each other.
idk where exactly draw a line on these types of things. ive seen the jesus icon patch, some orthodox bandanas with cross and prayers written on it. i know its inspired from a game but the game probably got it from some real life example. anyways its not really a hill i will die on just curious
The space marines aren't the only people that wear purity seals it can be anyone in the imperial guard, inquisition or the imperial cult. Also the space marines are a rare sight in the Galaxy. The main fighting force would be the imperial guard.
I have a question. What about the medieval era when Orthodox nations would have flags with the image of Christ on them as they go into battle. Do these fall in a similar vein?
Nah,Purity Seals are good,GW are pissed tf off at the russian market,plus,i need purity seals for Milsim(Alongside an airsoft prototype ak12,and an SS Leto smock)
Hi Bojan if possible could you go over the differences between East Orthodoxy and Old Calendarists or True Orthodoxy as some of them call it? I stumbled upon some arguements and find it very confusing.
Haven't heard anything about this, so I was hoping it was some small aspect of Orthodoxy that Warhammer had appropriated. I enjoy Warhammer, and have an idea for a Sisters of Battle army, to kitbash them into something looking Orthodox, rather than Gothic/Catholic. But the other way around, it's kinda weird.
Keep in mind it's a kind of counter-gesture toward ukraininans with their unit called 'Khorne group' after a chaos god from 40k universe, which oppose Imperium of Man
Also on one hand, while you are correct in mentioning the Bible passage of piety signaling like in the Gospel of Matthew, is there any difference in doing that and wearing an external cross necklace?
This won't be popular but all the Orthodox "streetwear" like Death to the World merchandise is basically the same thing just without being Warhammer inspired. It makes me uncomfortable for someone to be wearing all this Orthodox symbolism combined with like a punk/hardcore aesthetic. I know it sounds judgmental but its too much for me personally.
Plus, christian warriors of old wore parement crosses over armor (cross-shaped military honours came from the idea), inscribed armor and belts with psalms, ect. Not mentioning the whole icons as banners. If you don't like it, that's your personal opinion which are based on your own likings, not actual religious practices.
@@BanterWithBojan these were also a political statements rather then sacred objects, strictly speaking (with exception of banner which were considered to be a form of icons). And these were also created by mundane artisans and sold as commodities. See no difference. Orthodox church does not enforce any particular forms of such accessories, because they are not the sacred objects (similar to temple building architecture, for example - compare traditional russian churches with Kazan Cathedral). Also, the seals you are speaking about does not come from games, because in games they bear the iconography of fictional Imperium of Mankind, so they resemble to the actual ones in form only.
What if one wears a cross or such item, not to publicly show "piety", but to show that you aren't afraid to proclaim Christ as your Lord? Not to doubt or argue just for legit understanding and criticism.
To be honest I just think this is really cool. Of course from the moral angle pride is a danger with revelling in such aesthetic factors, and I have certainly seen the Russians using the faith in a less than reverent way for war propaganda. But morale is an important factor in war, just as praying puts soldiers at rest, making them carry marks of their righteousness will absolutely inspire them in battle, of course this means less if they do not take Christian attitudes with them, but the officers will very likely encourage these types of religious commitments, just as I see Russian Monarchists who say they must redeem in blood their people's crimes before God (meaning the destruction of Holy Russia and their grandparents role in supporting the Soviets in one way or another, or at least not fighting them to the bitter end, they really like the Kornilov Shock Battalion uniform presumably in this theme, though probably because of the skull, from my understanding the committed monarchists were actually in the Drozdowski Division, though as I don't speak Russian maybe that is just a stereotype) and know that no one in Russia is going to rebuke their commitment to self-sacrifice.
Not all displays of Christianity are for the sake of displaying piety. Someone of them could very well be for the purpose of raising morale, like drawing crosses on shields or parading icons in front of troops. If one wears an 'Orthodox purity seal' to show off their faith - then yes, it is a problem. But of one wears them to increase spirits (or just for the coolness of it), I don't see a problem
Hey bojan what do you think of taking a bible verse/verses and turning them into a secular song, like not in the evangelical way but in like the turn turn turn way by the byrds?
If you know anything about 40k, you know there are some serious problems with conflating Christianity with the Imperium of Man. (For one the Emperor is a Reddit tier Anti-Theist who was deified after essentially becoming a vegetable) If your going to pull from media at least pull from something with actual Christian themes like Narnia, Solomon Kane, or LotR. Ok, that's two protestants; Lewis, & Howard, and a Catholic; Tolkien. So probably not great for Orthadox symbology, but better than 40k.
The aesthetics of the imperium of man are meta gothic ultra Catholic, and it is a setting in which evil is tangible in the same sense as it was to the early Christians, in a very physical sense. Many younger Christians are influenced by the setting to a large extent as it was their main source of comparison for traditional Church imagery and understanding the demonic nature of certain contemporary evils, they are much more likely to reference a Chaos 'god' when talking about some sin than some literary work like Dante's inferno. On the plus side they do tend to educate themselves over time, and it is an introduction to a Christian mindset towards reality that churches are often reluctant to give due to thinking that being too forthright will scare people off. But it does mean these converts will absolutely think fumigating a tank with incense, equipping it with flamethrowers, covering it in wax seals and bundling some poor monk in with them to go to battle is not just sensible but a good idea.
There's plenty of Christian symbols in 40k. There are crosses, memento mori, and double-headed Eagles everywhere in their iconography. They have Saints and holy knights, go on crusades, etc.
Totally unrelated to the video... I was listening to an interview on BBC radio this evening, and they were interviewing someone about their life story. I didn't know who it was, but as soon as I heard the voice I knew they were Serbian because their European accent was identical to yours. It was Marina Abramović. 😆
It's a meta joke. In the video, he criticises the seals being reminiscent to the Pharisees, who rather than wearing their tassles to accord, would end up using them pridefully and try to "outpious" eachother by having more tassles. A more literal modern day equivalent of this is prayer ropes. A single prayer rope is enough for an Orthodox Christian, and generally you should keep it private, not show it off, because they are a prayer device, which you should use for prayer, not for bragging about how much you pray. But some mistaken young Orthodox buy as many prayer ropes as possible, just like the pharisees. Bojan is making a meta-joke drawing parallel between irl behaviours and the topic of the video.
How is it different from a t-shirt with a cross and/or psalm text print? Are you angry at any clothes featuring Christian symbols or just ones that are inspired by games?
Primarily the ones inspired by video games. As for clothing, generally those are sort of ornaments and not used as a protective device, as the purity seals are.
T-shirts and other clothing are a hot topic as well, so Share your opinion on those! For example, although I am not against most Christian symbolism on T-shirts, I am very iffy about icons on tshirts. Icons are said to be holy regardless of the material. So would really wear a t-shirt that is essentially an icon, go about your day, potentially engage in sin, if not then getting stains on the shirt icon from eating, drinking, whatever, the putting it in your washing with all other dirty clothes? I'd personally recommend no. What about other non-iconographic religious symbols: Crosses, prayers, Orthodox seals, other Christian symbolism, slogans, etc? Idk. If we ignore the the problem that icon shirts have, it falls into multiple new problems: is it not showing of your piousness the same way Pharisees did? If not and your intent is different, say, to remind yourself not to sin - what if you do? And other problems come with it too. But in this case, that is not what Bojan was referring to, rather than the inspiration not from irl examples, but videogames.
@@cerebrummaximus3762 It wouldn’t be the first time the Church took something that wasn’t Christian or was staunchly opposed to Christ and made it good, to say we can’t as Christians take things away from the devil is to ignore our own history.
I don't know, I'm not on the front. If the guys on the front want to wear purity seels, why argue with them? They're the ones putting their lives on it.
Hello Bojan! I don't know if this is the best way to reach out to you or how to submit questions to you but here is mine: How do we reconcile the fact that the words "I am the chief of sinners" are put into our mouths every Divine Liturgy when we know for a fact that we are not? I have never murdered a man, I have never committed adultery, I have never led thousands in schism, and the few times I have stolen, it was comparatively minor compared to the evils done by huge businesses today. I understand pride may be a real element at work here, but I fail to see it as such, for you don't need to be a chef to know when a burger tastes bad. If I see an evil I've got no problem recognizing it as evil and calling it out. I know I'm no saint and I've got a handful of sins I need to confess, but for me to compare myself to people whom I know to have done far worse than I have is what I call false humility.
it's silly, I guess it could be fine for a role play thing, but yeah I could see how it could be offensive to people of faith or run against doctrine. I watched both vids your perspective was interesting, thanks.
Warhammer teaches never to compromise on your faith and to defeat your enemies. That's why you dont like purity seals, not becouse it is from the game or some pharasy nonsense. If these items where from some degenerate universe people like you would advertise them.
Bojane, imam jedno vazno pitanje, prvo poslusaj pricu: Za konteks ja volim istoriju i zelim da je studiram uskoro, hteo sam da kupim statuu muze Klio, muze za istorju da "reprezentuje" moju ljubav prema istoriji. Tada mi je palo na pamet da pogledam da li postoji neki svetac, kako ne bih uzimao paganska bozanstva, koji je zastitnik istoricara, dosao sam do jednog coveka po imenu Beda (Bede na engleskom), ali pojavio se problem, vrlo cudan... Na internetu pise da nije kanonizovan u pravoslavnoj crkvi, ali da je u rimokatolickijoj i odredjenim crkvama oriejtantolnog praovslavlja, cak iako je ziveo u 8. veku, a to je bilo posle raskola sa orijentalnom pravoslavnom crkvom, a kod nas je tako da je pre-raskolni svetac, koji nije kanonizovan?!? Takodje na nekim nasim sajtovima koji su kao pravoslavni i to kao i na wikipediji, pise da je mu je ime: Beda Postovani. Tako da ne znam da li smem da ga imam u svom "icon corner"-u, cak postoje i ikone sa njegovim likom?
Let us pray for peace. Isn't it true that who picks up the sword will be killed by the sword (Mat 26,52) and that our first duties are to love God and to love our neighbors? Isn't all nationalism idolatry? Saint Velimirović was aware of that. What also troubles me is that Russians and Ukrainians include pagan symbolism in their military ranks while the most important reason to defect military service for the early Christians was not to participate in pagan rituals. This is already enough to stay away from any currently existing army. I adore Seraphim of Sarov very much. When I heard that the ROC declared him the patron of the nuclear forces, even though it had been the founders of these forces who killed all the monks at Seraphim monastery I became very sad. Let us pray against the enemy within the Church and in the Military. Let us not forget Psalm 79 and especially 79,4 because we do behave like hypocrites and don't deserve better than to be laughed at if we allow political forces to hijack our belief.
You do know the rosary and orthodox prayer beads were taken from a Muslim practice of using beads, and Muslims took the practice from ancient Hindu and Buddhist traditions using mala beads. Proof being that Christians didn’t use this before the crusades. But they seen a benefit to it so it became a Christian practice. If people want to have a cross seal with scripture written on it, that doesn’t seem that blasphemous honestly.
First of all, my word that's a lot of bracelets and ropes. Second of all that's an idiotic thing. Pardon my temper, I feel bad for the priest who will probably be aware of this, and it's sad. "Orthodox Purity Seals" give me a break.
Its even more ironic because warhammer 40k is supposed to be a ridiculously bleak version of the future. People get turned into cyborg slaves, entire planets get blown to smithereens and some machines are piloted by half corpses, this should be the LAST fictional setting that gets emulated irl.
Not to mention that there's an extreme class divide where nobility in the hives typically live above the clouds while the working class lives halfway underground, sometimes living in the same factories where they work, never seeing the sun.
Good video! Are you a bee or a fly? Bee sees King David’s psalm. Fly sees war hammer purity seals. Btw those Russian soldiers are orcs! Did you know that? The entire world knows that…
This the same a keeping a small bible or icons on you or a cross, why hide you faith tho? I would understand if you were persecuted but there is no reason to hide you cross, you can wear it outside, i personally dont but that's just preference
